IN THE CORRIDORS

Some NGOs at the Conference have expressed their intention to
surface the long submerged issue of whaling, specifically
participation in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the
Japanese efforts to lift the ban on commercial whaling. Some SIDS
have apparently agreed to join the IWC and have demonstrated their
intention to vote against extending the moratorium and,
consequently, have been accused by some of having sold out to
Japanese interests in exchange for increased ODA and other forms of
assistance. The International Wildlife Coalition has called for a
boycott of the tourism industries of four "designated" SIDS in the
Caribbean. While most NGOs present at this Conference have rejected
this boycott, they have been lobbying the new entrants to the IWC
to maintain the moratorium and to support the establishment of a
whale sanctuary in the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica. The
IWC will meet at the end of May.